The Dark Knight Rises Official Trailer Now Out!

Christopher Nolan's epic conclusion to his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is headed our way this summer. After a lot of gossip, rumors and paparazzi pictures of behind the scenes fans are finally getting a real look at the film with the just released trailer.

Based on the trailer it it looks to continue the weighty story that Nolan began with chronicling Bruce Wayne's attempts to save Gotham - and himself. The trailer looks to promise some major action, intimidating villians, epic set pieces, a hero trying to maintain some order in a collapsing city, some returning characters along with some new faces.

Trailers are always an iffy proposition. Of course the filmmakers want to make the film look as promising as possible and I have to say this one certainly whets my appetite to see where the story is going to be taken.

Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard.

I'll be sure I'll be on line opening weekend. We can't be sure what will happen to the Bat films after Nolan retires from them, so this potentially could be the last great Bat-film for quite some time. Of course the studio will want to continue making them, but the question will be can they maintain the same level of quality that Nolan has brought back to them or will they suffer the same kind of decline that happened previously? Could we possibly get another Schumacher Batman and Robin somewhere down the road.....?

So I'm going to just try and enjoy The Dark Knight Rises for now and worry about what happens to the films later.

A Christmas Story (1983) - A Quick Review...

“A Red Ryder BB gun, with a compass and a stock and this thing that tells time.”
"FRA-GEE-LAY!"
"I can’t put my arms down!”
"I triple dog dare you!"
"Be sure to drink your Ovaltine."
"He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny."
"Oooooh fuuuuudge!"
“You’ll shoot your eye out kid.”

Even if you’re a casual movie fan you probably recognize at least one, if not all of those lines from the 1983 film A Christmas Story.

There has been tons of Christmas films, songs, and television specials through the years. Some have become holiday classics, while others have fallen by the wayside and are just included in Christmas television marathons to fill up time.

Bob Clark’s A Christmas Story adapted by the works of Jean Shepherd is as simple and funny a holiday film as you can get.

In 1943 Christmas season has arrived. Young Ralphie Parker has set his sights on one thing he dreams of getting on Christmas morning – A Red Ryder BB Gun. Unfortunately Mom is against the idea with the ever ominous warning that he’ll ‘shoot his eye out”.

With the clock ticking Ralphie tries any scheme to guarantee he’ll be opening that Red Ryder BB gun Christmas morning. Along the way we experience the universal kid foibles that every kid has to deal with – bullies, an annoying sibling and getting a C+ on your homework.

A Christmas Story has become one of my personal favorites. It was a film I saw when I was little and I immediately latched onto it. I was around when it first hit theaters and thought it was great. It was charming, innocent and really funny! Regardless of it being a ‘Christmas’ movie, I often considered it one of the funniest films from the 1980’s and also a film that’s just as quotable as any of the great comedies in filmdom.

The cast is all great – Melinda Dillion, Peter Billingsly, all the kids and at this point I can’t imagine any other actors filling any of the parts. My personal favorite - Darren McGavin as the Old Man. He is so hysterical with his mumbling cursing and his excitement at finally winning his ‘major award’.

I always liked the setting the film takes place in. We’re dropped in somewhere around 1939-41 in Indiana. Generally people’s best, most memorable holiday experiences occurred in the past, which is what shapes our love for the season. So that nostalgic, purer atmosphere makes the film feel much more special than if it had been set in modern day. 

The film doesn't drip with holiday sentimentality like so many other Christmas stories do. Everyone isn't gathering around the dinner table holding hands singing songs - the Bumbus dogs took care of the Christmas turkey. So the Parker family find themselves in the oddest place to have their Christmas dinner - a Chinese restaurant next to a bowling alley with the staff warbling out Christmas songs.

However, with all the humor there is heart to the story and love in the family we see. As the credits roll we learn that we've witnessed Ralphie receive his greatest Christmas gift he will ever receive in his lifetime. That statement gets us to wonder what each of us would say is our own personal greatest Christmas gift. Most likely it's something from years ago when we were also around Ralphie's age.

Gradually the film gained popularity on cable and video rentals and has since become a holiday tradition for millions of movie fans. The one downside to this for me is that I’ve seen the film so many times I can barely watch it anymore. TNT airs a 24-hour marathon of it, so inevitably I’ll catch some of a Christmas Story, but it’s not likely I’ll sit through the whole thing again.

It’s not like my love for the film has disappeared. Just last year someone gave me a mini-Christmas Story leg lamp and I was almost as happy as Ralphie on Christmas morning! And I get jazzed to hear so many people of all ages know the film and love it. It’s kind of cool seeing how a movie that barely anyone was aware of when it first came out has become so beloved. It just took them awhile to discover it.

Miracle On 34th Street - Original vs Remake

Being deep into the holiday season inevitably I'll stumble onto some holiday films and specials. Of course one of the biggest Christmas films of all-time is 1947's Miracle On 34th Street.

The classic film starring Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gween as Kris Kringle always gets reliable airplay around this time of year. Of course being such a beloved, popular film it's ripe for remake status by Hollywood. So I decided to take another look at the original and see how the 1994 remake by producer/writer John Hughes compares.

One thing I always found ironic about the original is even back then consumerism usurping the spirit of Christmas was a concern. Sixty years later the film still holds up.

The Three Stooges Are Back! (Sort of....)

The Farrelly Brothers new film The Three Stooges based on the famous comedy trio is headed our way in April 2012. Fans have finally gotten a first look at the teaser trailer and now finally have an idea what they can expect.

And a lot of them don’t like it.

Apparently a very loud reaction is being heard from a lot of Stooge fans over what is being done to Moe, Larry and Curly. It’s probably not what Peter and Bobby Farrelly were hoping for after the long struggle to get this passion project finally done, but based on the overwhelming negative response by Stooge fans it doesn’t seem their new Three Stooges film is going to be welcomed with open arms.

I can’t say I blame the fans, in a lot of ways I completely agree with them. The teaser trailer did not excite me at all with the idea of venturing out to the theater to see this updating of our favorite knuckleheads.

As expected we get the classic slapstick that the Stooges were known for and we see Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe), Sean Hayes (Larry) and Will Sasso (Curly) recreate all the eye pokes, slaps and falls that are Stooge trademarks. The supporting cast consists of a few familiar faces – Sofia Vergara, Jane Lynch, Larry David, Jennifer Hudson and…..Snooki. (Yep, feels like they’re grasping at comedy straws with that piece of casting)

I’ve read the Farrely’s, obviously, huge Stooge fans and have wanted to make a movie about them for a long time. And while I can appreciate fans desire to see the boys back on screen I’ve accepted the fact that it will never happen. And if it was attempted it would most likely look like the trailer that we’re seeing now.

At one point a new Three Stooges movie sounded like it was going to be interesting based on the original casting idea – Jim Carrey, Sean Penn and Benecio DelToro. Can you even picture that??? I would be curious to see any movie that starred those three together! Then having them play Curly, Larry and Moe….oh I gotta see this!

But that didn’t happen and that casting idea, which would have given the film an aura of prestige and interest by the general audience is gone. So the film is now left with B-level actors, some you might be familiar with, dressed up as the Stooges and doing their best impersonations of them. There’s a grab bag of supporting parts and there looks to be some topical pop culture humor. I always wondered what the Stooges would have thought of the Jersey Shore.

The funniest thing to me is the swift reaction by fans when the trailer hit. There have been very loud, angry voices, some already proclaiming it as the worst film of 2012. Yeah, they could be right and I’d be the first to say based on the trailer the film doesn’t look very good, but really what did everyone expect?

I’ve accepted the fact that this was probably a bad idea from the start. As much as I would love to see a new Three Stooges film it’s just not going to happen. Sadly the Stooges have long ago died and they left us with the only Stooge films we’ll ever see. Anything new that comes along will just be imitators in costumes or tribute acts. Whether they want to call themselves the Three Stooges or not, they’re not the Three Stooges.

When I heard Carrey, Penn and DelToro dropped out of the project the curiosity to see the film was lost for me. My reaction to the trailer was just indifference. I’m not going to rant about how bad it looks or that it should never be made. Let’s face it there really hasn’t been much Stooge activity for a long time, so with this film I’m just hoping the interest will prompt a new documentary or book about the real Stooges.

I might be overly optimistic about that and the tradeoff of having the name of the Three Stooges headline a lousy movie might be somewhat painful, but that’s the price to pay to get the guys some major attention again unfortunately.

To be fair this was only a teaser trailer. Who knows, maybe the film will be really funny. It’s possible, not very likely, but possible. I’m betting it will be an attempted forgettable cash grab of a popular title, like the Little Rascals or that All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy. (anyone remember that one?)

 I doubt the Farrelly’s Three Stooges will draft many new fans. The nostalgic affection a lot of fans have for the Stooges that have generated interest in this project will be lost on younger audiences who really aren’t aware of the guys. In an era where the Jackass gang are doing much crazier stuff, will some eye pokes dazzle younger filmgoers? I doubt it.

So what possibly could be left are die-hard Stooge fans rallying against the idea of this film and anger at the Farrelly’s for putting Snooki in it.

But at least we might get a new documentary or book about the real Stooges out of it……maybe…..I hope…..Turner Classic Movies please come through!

One upside to this project is it has given Stooge fans a reason to come together and share their thoughts about this new film and their reactions to it. Stooge fans haven’t had a Stooge-related project to talk about for a very long time. It’s kind of nice to see, even if most of it is complaining. I sometimes forget how beloved the guys still are by so many people.

The 2012 Calendar Selection Has Been Made!

Well, it’s that time of year again when everyone has to make that hefty decision – what kind of calendar should I buy?

It’s an important choice that will affect what you’ll be looking at and referring to for the next year. Sure you can just make due with one of those free ones your local bank gives away, but what’s the fun in that???

The selection of calendars is staggering when I start to look at them. It seems every base is covered and whatever you like or are into there’s a calendar just for you.

Scenic vistas, art, celebrities, flowers, animals, religious, sports, travel, sexy models, humorous, games, trivia, it’s just a countless variety for you to choose from. Hey you like the Kardashians, not to worry there’s a calendar for them too.

Being a movie fan I used to go with the straightforward selection of a film theme for my yearly calendar. It wasn’t too difficult to commit to flipping through twelve big pictures of Star Wars, Indiana Jones or of course James Bond. Then some of my other favorites would start to slip in, Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges were always reliable choices.

I always kind of gloss over a calendar real function and started to look at them more as a decoration than a tool to keep track of time. I have my spot on my office wall that inevitably will be replaced by the next year’s calendar. I go for those big wall calendars with a nice big picture on top and on the bottom all the days, dates and the rest of that jazz

Once I contemplated one of those small desk calendars – The Far Side comic seemed to be the most popular one for a long time. Everyday you tear off a page and were treated to a new comic panel. (I always found it strange that the comic ended years ago and it still hung around for years afterward in calendar form).

But those desk calendars really seemed like too much of a hassle. Everyday you have a commitment to keep track of the days and if you fell behind then you at some point you have to tear off a weeks worth of days in a few minutes. That’s not really fun.

I almost folded on one desk calendar that was a page a day origami. Everyday you learned how to make a new one (I figured I would get all Blade Runner for the year), but again that seemed too much of a hassle and I envisioned a scattering of papers surrounding me of failed origami attempts. 

 

What year is it again....?

Naturally the sexy model calendars. I’m certainly not going to dismiss them and have in the past enjoyed a year of Farmer’s Daughters, Beach Babes and Hot Buns. They mostly consist of anonymous models in sexy poses. I doubt you will even be able to figure out their names if you were so inclined. The major selling point is seeing sexy women in erotic poses. Keeping track of the months or looking for the next holiday is completely moot. I don’t think you’ll even find any dates or months anywhere in some of them…..

These certainly aren’t general office-friendly kind of calendars. I can imagine you hanging one of them up in your cubicle; it might not go over too well with fellow office workers. But maybe some will really like them! They’re much more eye-catching than those big, boring, plain white, block of weeks that most people have sitting on their desks.  

 One of the funniest sexy ones that reappear every year is the Women In Waders calendar. I just find it so unusual. I suppose combining fishing and hot women serves a niche audience who want to stare at both of them for a year. I always wonder how these things sell though. I suppose they must be pretty profitable if they keep churning them out every year. I guess it’s like the Chicks With Guns and Hot Rides and they’re just covering two different categories at once. I wish someone would come up with Hot Chicks Recreate Star Wars or something…..

So what was my choice for Calendar 2012, well I’ve stuck with one that I think combines both the sexy and the artistic – Pin Up by Gil Elvgren. 

I’ve gotten these calendars in the past and really enjoy them. I really dig the retro art by the guy and his paintings of the old classic pinups from years gone by are sexy, fun and amusing. The best of Elvgren’s paintings tell a little story and have an enjoyable twist to the sexy lady in them. How can one not be amused by the lady's skirt hiking up on her as she attempts to put the water bottle on the cooler!

They’re not offensive (or at least they aren’t to my mind) and I look forward to seeing what the next month’s image will be. Plus, they have the days of the month on them. That’s always a plus.

Oh and then I folded and also choose 2012’s Erotic Hands. I figured I could hang it on the back of my door so no one else will see it.